Kothamangalam sees a pro-incumbency wave
The Hindu
Sitting MLA Antony John of the CPI(M) retains seat by a margin of 6,605 votes
A pro-incumbency wave was witnessed in Kothamangalam, which was traditionally a Congress bastion, where sitting MLA Antony John of the CPI(M) retained the seat by a margin of 6,605 votes over arch rival Shibu Thekkumpuram of the Kerala Congress (Joseph). Mr. John won a total of 64,234 votes, while Mr. Thekkumpuram won 57,629 votes. Dr. Joe Joseph, a medical doctor and son-in-law of Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader P.J. Joseph, who was fielded by Twenty20, who led a relatively silent campaign, came third winning 7,978 votes. Shine K. Krishnan of the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituent, got 4,638 votes. A total of 414 votes were for NOTA. Mr. John had won by a margin of 19,282 votes in 2016, defeating T.U. Kuruvilla of the Kerala Congress (Joseph).The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.